Late to the party, but I finally installed and played ME3. Just finished it.

Wow. Bioware did a hell of a job crafting this game - it was fantastic. The combat was more varied, improved, and enjoyable, and I welcomed the reintroduction of RPG elements in the form of weapon customization. The whole game also felt much more polished than ME2. But the best thing about it, I thought, was the character depth and development - especially after coming off an RPG that had next to none of it (Skyrim). Made me remember why I loved Bioware's games. I like the design decision of trading main character quantity for individual depth, though I was a bit disappointed at the lack of inclusion of ME2's unique party members. I suppose ME2's 'live or die' dynamic proved too difficult/complex to develop further into ME3.

But dear Lord, the ending...

TBH the first time around, I was too awed by the cinematographic execution of the ending to realize what I just saw was flawed. It was only a while afterwards that a significant 'Wait, what?' reaction surfaced, and I proceeded to pick apart the ending to discover what was wrong with it. Despite the plot holes and deviance from established themes, my main gripe with it was the brutal lack of closure for an IP that I had heavily invested into emotionally (It almost had me on the verge of tears). I really hope the announced Extended Cut rectifies this well.

As for the plot holes, I don't know how Bioware is going to fix them without changing/retconning the original ending. But doing so would be admitting that they were wrong the first time around. Yet, if they don't address the issues sufficiently, they stand to gain a significant amount of damage to their reputation. A tricky pickle, for sure.
A related issue would be what could happen if a lot of gamers think they can change existing games by causing a big enough hooplah...

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Originally Posted by Red Hessian

sunshine-and-butterflies fanfic style to appease the hordes.

I certainly hope not. I quite liked the bitterness of the current ending. I just would've hoped for something like an opportunity to contact your crew/the galaxy one last time to warn them of what you're about to do and/or say goodbye. Perhaps even the chance to give one last epic speech..
As I said: closure.

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If there was actually any content worth while, they wouldn't give it away for free.

I don't know... Bioware's pretty much facing a lynch mob.. I think it's either deliver or die, at this point. Charging for it would most likely damage their reputation regardless of the DLC's quality, as fans are feeling quite entitled to it.